Emerging Platforms

San Francisco, CA - April 26, 2016 - In a new whitepaper, Living, Learning and Working in 2020 with the Internet of Things, San Francisco-based product development and design studio, Yeti LLC, takes a look at how the Internet of Things (IoT) is already impacting five key arenas of everyday life, and how in-development products will continue our march towards a new standard of technology-based living.

Apple TV is rapidly becoming a fixture in America’s living rooms. The technology giant’s video platform became its fastest growing hardware way back in 2013, and consumers’ thirst for the product has yet to be slaked. Although Apple didn’t release specific sales figures, CEO Tim Cook called the first quarter of 2016 the “best quarter by far for Apple TV sales.” It’s a boom that hasn’t gone unnoticed by software developers. Just one year after opening Apple TV to developers, Apple boasted that as many as 5,000 apps have made their way to the TV screen, and roughly 5,000 more are slated to debut this year.

There's no doubt that 2016 is the year of big promise for virtual reality.
While the technology is still maturing, this will be the first year that users have access to affordable VR technology in the home, including the $100 Gear VR headset that was released during the last week of 2015. Other upcoming, highly-anticipated releases include Oculus Rift, Sony PlayStation VR, and the HTC Vive, which have all already begun pre-orders and will start shipping in March (Oculus), May (HTC), and October (Sony). Microsoft HoloLens AR; is the biggest contender in augmented reality and they have also begun shipping developer kits early this year.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is in its early years, but it’s already begun to transform the way we live. It makes life easier — when you’re running late and in search of a client’s office, you can ask your car’s GPS to determine the quickest route. If you want to check on your kids upstairs, you can overhear them with a communication system built into your home. If you run out of detergent or shampoo, you push a button, and the product arrives at your doorstep in a few days.